Issue - meetings

(A report by James Gilbert, Assistant Director – Corporate)

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Anne Dorrian, presented the report which sought consideration of the Boston Plan for 2040 which had been revised and updated following consultation and scrutiny. Members noted that the Boston Plan for 2040 provided a vision for the entire Borough and set out key themes and priorities. A summary of the feedback received during consultation was attached at Appendix 2 and the revised Boston Plan for 2040 was attached at Appendix 1 within the report.

Members noted that delivery oversight would sit in the Economic Development Directorate, with the establishment of multi-agency working groups to deliver agreed key actions. The plan would be kept up to date as new actions and initiatives developed and circumstances changed and evolved.

Members discussed the report and commented as follows:

·       Members expressed satisfaction with the increased emphasis on the rural areas of the borough, noting that the plan now included a dedicated section for rural areas.

·       Concerns were raised regarding the public perception that Boston Borough Council was only focused on the town centre. The need for clear communication about the Council's responsibilities and the distinction between borough and county council duties was emphasised.

·       The focus on economic growth was praised, particularly the priorities of supporting economic sectors, developing skills and employment opportunities, and attracting inward investment.

·       The positive impact of the volunteer scheme and the importance of continuing to drive improvements for the borough was highlighted.

·       Members noted the benefits that parish councils had received from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, emphasizing the Council's commitment to supporting rural areas.

The recommendations were moved by Councillor Anne Dorrian and seconded by Councillor Sandeep Ghosh.

RESOLVED:

1.     That the Boston Plan for 2040 be approved; and

2.     That authority be delegated to the Director of Economic Growth, in consultation with the Leader, to keep the Plan up to date as new work emerges and circumstances change.

(A report by James Gilbert, Assistant Director – Corporate)

The Group Manager – Insights & Transformation presented the report including the draft consultation document for the Boston Plan 2040. She explained that it included a shared vision for the entire borough, all 19 parishes and the town. It also linked to the LGA Peer Review updates which had been discussed earlier.

The Group Manager – Insights and Transformation confirmed that the Plan expanded on the town centre strategy to cover the whole borough. The Plan had been out for public consultation, in January and February, which included with residents, local businesses, schools and Parish Councils. There had also been public interaction at events, including Celebrate Boston and Boston Brilliance. Members were invited to consider the draft plan and feedback their views so that they could be added to the consultation, which would then be reported to Cabinet on 26^th March 2025.

High-level priorities included a thriving economy, community cohesion and resilience, and a healthy and sustainable borough. If the plan was approved, an action plan would be put together at the next stage, which would include the response to the consultation and the Committee’s views which would feed into the action plan that would be delivered by multi-agency working groups for each of the priorities. The Committee would also receive reports on progress, as would the Cabinet, and reports would be provided to the Parish Council liaison meeting to ensure their involvement.

The Group Manager – Insights and Transformation indicated that there were two key areas that had already been identified from the consultation, which would be included in the next draft submitted to Cabinet. The first area was around the potential impact of local government reorganisation. The report will indicate that it was a “living document.” The second area was regarding conversations with individual councillors about the potential for a rural strategy. She confirmed that rather than proceed in that way and have a separate one, the aim was to pull that together into the Plan, so that all areas were covered.

The Group Manager – Insights and Transformation advised that requests from by the Committee in respect of the Healthy Living Board report would be included in the Boston Plan 2040 so that it could incorporate the links with health and in particular reaching out to communities. Confirmation was provided that there would be more in-depth consultation and engagement on those actions themselves to include the Committee’s suggestions.

Members discussed the reports and commented as follows:

Consideration was given to information in the report about the potential disparity between lower rates of unemployment locally as against the national average and the higher number of people on out of work benefits. The Committee discussed how a probable explanation was that the disparity may have arisen as a result of the number of people who were economically inactive and not claiming out of work benefits. Another explanation may also have been that some claimants of Universal Credit were in work and on low wages. The Group Manager – Insights  ...  view the full minutes text for item 134